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Police on alert after Mumbai blasts

Activities of PWG, TMMK, National Development Front being monitored Police planning to send men for refresher course in bomb disposal, detection

PONDICHERRY: Police don't foresee any threat from fundamentalist groups in the Union Territory, but they are not taking any chances, and the force is being geared to handle any emergency, a top police officer has said.

"There is no unit of Students Islamic Movement of India or any other fundamentalist and extremist organisations present in any of the four regions of the Union Territory," Special Branch Superintendent of Police V. Vijayakumar told The Hindu.

However, he added that Yanam and Mahe regions had been identified as areas that outlawed extremist organisations could possibly infiltrate.

The active presence of People's War Group in Kakinada near Yanam and the activities of National Development Front, which is being kept under watch by the Kerala police for its anti-national activities, in the neighbouring districts of Mahe are being closely monitored, he added.

Police confirmed that they received two alerts from the Ministry of Home Affairs after the bomb blasts in Mumbai. Subsequently, combing operations were conducted in select lodges in the town. The police are also closely monitoring a large number of floating populations.

The local unit of the Intelligence Bureau is monitoring exclusively the arrival of foreign tourists and foreigners settled in nearby areas. A close watch is kept on some 23 food vendors from Andhra Pradesh, belonging to a minority community, settled in Nellithope area, sources in the police said.

Also, a special team is monitoring the Tamil Nadu Muslim Munnetra Kazhagam activities and concentrating in Karaikal region to check any Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam operations. The Police Department is now planning to send 56 of their men to the Commando Training unit of the Tamil Nadu police for a refresher course in bomb disposal and detection.

These men have already undergone one round of training with Central agencies, including National Security Guards and other police forces, Mr. Vijayakumar said.